Luis Vaz de Camões. (Also called Luis de Camoens; Lisbon, 1524 - id., 1580) Portuguese writer, author of the national epic poem Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads). Luis de Camões frequented the royal court in Lisbon, but the indifference shown to him by the king prompted him to settle in Ceuta (1547), where he formed part of the garrison of the square.